


fish tanks and first loves

by neobiasedx



Series: somehow, we fell in love without falling (nct one shot series) [8]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Aquariums, Falling In Love, Fluff, Love, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 16:18:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15271404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neobiasedx/pseuds/neobiasedx
Summary: park jisung didn't particularly enjoy aquariums, but who was he to deny zhong chenle of what he wanted?





	fish tanks and first loves

**Author's Note:**

  * For [particlephysics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/particlephysics/gifts).



> ok so this prompt was given to me by nina, and it said: 
> 
> how about a chensung based on this: https://twitter.com/2dvibe/status/876177193877069824 with chenle as michiru (the aqua haired one) and jisung as haruka (short haired one)? hehe
> 
> i have to confess, ive never watched or read anything to do with sailor moon so it probably has no other connection to the story other than the one scene, but i thought it fit the two of them so well! i lowkey loved this prompt and i hope i did my best!
> 
> i notice that the person who requested this to me, nina, does not have an official ao3 account. if you ever do get an ao3 account in the future, please comment below and tell me so i can gift this to you as well as particlephysics!

“Zhong Chenle, since I’ve been friends with you, I think I’ve really learned to let go and be a more open, free person. My parents and brother really do thank you for getting my out of my shell. But, I still kind of enjoy being able to know where we’re going. So, Chenle, for the last time, where the hell are you taking me?”

Chenle scoffed, not letting go of his death grip on Jisung’s wrist. “You’re gonna have to learn to love surprises, too!”

Jisung quirked an eyebrow. “You dragged me from school right onto a bus, and we’ve been walking for ten minutes since we left the bus stop. I feel like this is less of a surprise and more like I’m getting murdered.”

Letting out a high pitched screech right in Jisung’s poor, poor ear, Chenle let go of Jisung’s arm. “We’re here anyway, so it looks like you’re not getting murdered.”

“Damn, why’d you have to get my hopes up.” Jisung muttered, slightly regretting his choice to befriend the new Chinese exchange student all those years ago. 

“You like him too much to leave him, and you know it.” a small voice inside him whispered, which Jisung ignored. 

Bounding into the aquarium, Chenle went back to dragging the taller boy around the exhibits, pausing to take pictures of colorful anemone and happy fish. 

Kneeling down to take probably his hundredth picture in thirty minutes, Chenle tilted his phone to get a better angle. He tilted his head to match his phone, which probably would ruin the point of view he was aiming for, but it was cute nonetheless, according to Jisung. He resisted the urge to pepper kisses on his high cheekbones.

They walked a little longer, Chenle’s grasp on Jisung’s wrist migrating down to grab his hand instead. When Chenle first set his hand in the younger boy’s bigger palm, he looked up at Jisung to gauge his reaction. What he saw was a quick flush of bright red travel up Jisung’s pale skin, and with a laugh, Chenle continued to pull him over to the nearest tank. 

“Oh look, it’s you, Chenle!” Jisung yelled, using his free hand to point at a cardboard cutout of a dolphin in the corner of the dark room. 

“You aren’t original. Renjun hyung made the same exact joke when we came here as a family.”

Jisung widened his eyes at the new information.

“Chenle, judging from the sign outside, this aquarium has been open since July 7th.”

“Yes, that is, in fact, when this aquarium opened. Glad to know your eyesight hasn’t completely deteriorated yet.”

“No, Chenle, that isn’t what I meant. But today..is July 12th.”

“Again, Jisung, I’m proud of you, I didn’t know you could read either.”

It was times like this that threw Jisung off. Sometimes, Chenle acted like the next Na Jaemin of their group, such a flirt that he would charm anyone that talked to him. Other times, he acted more like Donghyuck, his older cousin’s best friend who made fun of anyone that dared to hold a conversation with him.

The only problem was, that duality only existed with Jisung. 

Pausing his reverie, he resumed with his point. “Chenle, that means you’ve gone to the aquarium twice in five days.”

“Wow! And he can do math too! What other talents does he possess?”

“Chenle, I swear to god. Anyway, why’d you come here twice, so soon? It’s just an aquarium?”

With every word that Jisung said of the last sentence, joking Chenle slowly turned into falsely shy, flirty Chenle. 

“I really liked it. I just wanted to share it with you.”

Jisung gulped, a second bout of red creeping up his neck. Coyly smiling, Chenle squeezed the younger boy’s hand and walked on, rambling about a shark exhibit he wanted to see again.

This boy really was going to be the death of Jisung. 

~~

The pair walked around the aquarium for hours. Jisung barely touched his phone, wanting to drink in every experience he could. After Chenle said that he just wanted to share it with Jisung, he found that he really wanted to enjoy all the aquarium had to offer.

If Chenle liked it so much, Jisung would like it too. 

The two of them eventually found themselves back at the entrance to the aquarium, standing in front of a fish tank. Chenle wasn’t taking any pictures this time, he just watched the fish swim around in the faux sea environment.

Jisung stood in front of the tank about a foot away. He paid attention to the fish diving in and out of the holes of the coral reef.

He tried his best not to think about how the ambient lighting from the sea tank made Chenle look like he was a beautiful mermaid, washing up on the inside of a cave right on the edge of the shore, with a pool in it just as deep and easy to drown yourself in as his eyes.

Damn. 

Jisung really just sounded like a lame fanfiction author sitting in their room writing instead of spending time with their family or doing homework like they were supposed to. 

He stared straight ahead and focused back on the coral. Jisung prayed that Chenle didn’t notice the glassy look in his eyes.

Suddenly, Chenle broke the comfortable silence between the two. 

“Y’know, watching this makes me feel calm. I feel like I could do it forever.”

“I feel the most calm when I listen to the rain in my room. It’s probably easier to access than an aquarium, but this is..nice too. I like it.” Jisung replied, as he turned to face Chenle, expecting him to be starting straight at the tank.

What he didn’t expect was to be making direct eye contact with Chenle. The older boy gently laughed, “Dummy, I wasn’t talking about the fish.”

For the millionth time that day, Jisung felt his cheeks burn. Ever the one to take something in stride, Chenle went back to gripping Jisung’s hand, softly leading him away from the sea life. 

“Let’s go home Jisung-ah.”

~~

Jisung had often heard about what love felt like, from annoying hyungs to sappy romantic comedies. They described sparks, fireworks of pure emotion. 

A shy introvert, Jisung rejected this notion, expecting that if he ever fell in love, it wouldn’t be as extravagant as the hyungs described it. 

Maybe his own definition of his path to love was right. Because Jisung felt it right then. No fireworks, just the soft feeling of water, trickling through his bloodstream right up to his brain, waking up his senses. 

And his heart. 

Maybe, Park Jisung fell in love under the soft blue lights of the aquarium. 

Maybe, Zhong Chenle did too.

**Author's Note:**

> leave comments and kudos if you liked it!
> 
> ~if you would like to leave a request, please comment on the post for requests! its an easy place to organize where all my requests came from. thank you!~


End file.
